Three soldiers among four killed in two suicide attacks: talks on for 150 troops' return

Two suicide attacks on Pakistan's military forces in Bajaur tribal district on Saturday left three soldiers dead and nine injured, officials said. The soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-filled car into a paramilitary vehicle, officials said. A civilian was also killed in the attack.
Panicked soldiers then opened fire, killing two civilians on a motorbike in Mureen, 18 km north of Khar, main town in Bajaur, local security official Jameel Khan told AFP. He said that the bomber's body was completely shredded. The blast also injured 11 people, including two soldiers, Jameel said.
In the other attack, the suicide bomber rammed his jeep into a security forces convoy in Tank district, bordering South Waziristan. "Seven soldiers were wounded in the attack but none of them is in serious condition," local administration official Ahmed Shah told AFP.
The authorities are also trying to negotiate a safe passage for around 150 soldiers who are caught up in a remote area of South Waziristan, officials said. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP that tribal elders were holding talks with tribesmen and militants to secure safe passage for the troops, who have been trapped in the region since late Thursday.
The military has contradicted reports in local media that the soldiers were being held hostage by pro-Taliban militants. Local officials said the large contingent was surrounded by armed militants who are frustrating efforts by local tribesmen to let the soldiers return to their camp.